Tarentum

Tarentum was a Greek city-state located in present-day Taranto in southern Italy. Tarentum was founded by Greek colonists in the 10th century BC, and developed into a large city. It became the head of the Greek Cities on mainland Italy, and was a major enemy of the Roman Republic as it was expanding southwards in the 4th century BC. Allied to the Samnites, it declared war on Rome when they expanded south, and they were conquered in 316 BC. In 280 BC, they invited Pyrrhus of Epirus to aid them against Rome, but they were again subjugated in 275 BC, and after rebelling in 212 BC during the Second Punic War, they were finally conquered in 209 BC by Quintus Fabius Maximus Cuncator.